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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748388">The Trusting a Shifter Job</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlannaofRoses/pseuds/AlannaofRoses'>AlannaofRoses</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Pack Long Con [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Leverage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Episode: s01e01 The Nigerian Job, Gen, Nate Ford POV, Shifter Eliot Spencer, Team Dynamics</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-04-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 15:55:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,457</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23748388</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/AlannaofRoses/pseuds/AlannaofRoses</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Nate Ford knows a Shifter when he sees one. Eliot Spencer sets off all his warning bells. Can Nate learn to trust a Shifter, or will his first job on the wrong side of the law fall apart? </p><p>This is a bit of a rambly, almost stream-of-consciousness retelling of the Nigerian Job from Nate's POV as he decides whether Eliot Spencer is someone he wants on his team. Not my best work ever, but I really want to play in this AU and I needed to jump start my creative brain with all the mess going on right now. Hope you still enjoy if Shifter!Eliot is your cup of tea.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Pack Long Con [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1710754</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>6</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>104</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Trusting a Shifter Job</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Nathan Ford was fairly certain Dubenich had no idea Eliot Spencer was a Shifter. </p><p>Nate had chased a few half Shifters in his time, mostly thieves or hired muscle doing jobs for higher ups. Full Shifters were rare these days, but they were easily recognizable if you knew what to look for. </p><p>And Nate did.</p><p>He’d seen Hardison flinch back, just for a second, when Eliot had first walked in. The man had rallied admirably, trying to ease the tension, but Nate had seen the flicker in the hitter’s eyes.</p><p>Hurt.</p><p>Nate had filed that away under things to analyze after the job.</p><p>Parker, however, had seemed almost carelessly thrilled to meet Eliot. To Nate’s surprise, the hitter had relaxed just the tiniest bit when the blonde thief skipped up to him with a crazy grin. Eliot hadn’t returned the smile, but his eyes softened.</p><p>Nate slipped that into the file as well.</p><p>“Alright, here’s the plan.” </p><p>Dubenich had laid the basic groundwork, but the plan was Nate’s for the most part. He’d studied the files Dubenich had handed him at length, adding his own knowledge of each of his new hires to the info. He’d crossed paths with all of them before, or, rather, he’d seen the aftermath of their various crimes. He knew exactly how best to use each member of the team.</p><p>Except Eliot was a Shifter.</p><p>Now he had to decide if that changed anything. </p><p>Shifters, especially full Shifters, had reputations for being hot headed, rule breakers, heartless. If in the wrong career path, like Eliot, merciless killers. </p><p>How far was Nate willing to go for his revenge? Could he let Eliot off the leash, send him to kill men whose only fault was doing their jobs?</p><p>Nate broke his own rules. He opened the mental file. Eliot had been hurt by Hardison’s instinctual fear. Eliot had almost smiled at Parker, who fluttered around him like he was a shiny new toy. Eliot, for all his natural instincts, hadn’t tried to challenge Nate for dominance once. </p><p>Dubenich hadn’t known, but Nate did.</p><p>Now all that was left was whether to trust that Eliot was a good man. </p><p>His trust in Eliot was rewarded. The Shifter didn’t kill a single man. </p><p>His trust in Dubenich was not.</p><p>As soon as Nate started laughing in the warehouse, realizing how much of a fool he’d been played for, Eliot’s nose flared wide as the Shifter scented the air.</p><p>Nate saw the minute the Shifter registered the explosives. </p><p>Then they were running, running, and the Shifter who could have outpaced them all kept himself last, using his supernatural strength to all but pick Hardison up off the floor when the younger man tripped. </p><p>The explosion sent them all flying, Nate lying stunned a minute on the ground, feeling the heat pouring from the warehouse.</p><p>Eliot leapt to his feet, snarling, his canines just a touch too long to be human. </p><p>Nate waited for him to run.</p><p>Instead, the hitter bent over Parker, brushing hair from her face with one gentle finger, careful not to scrape her with his claw-like nail. She blinked up at him from under a layer of soot and grinned. </p><p>She reached up a hand and touched Eliot’s lip, just under the protruding teeth. </p><p>And instead of biting her hand off, Eliot’s canines and claws retracted. </p><p>Sirens filled the air, the cavalry coming. Nate knew they’d never make it out in time. </p><p>Eliot looked over at him, the Shifter waiting for instructions.</p><p>Nate shook his head.</p><p>Eliot sat back on his haunches next to Parker’s head and let the police take them to the hospital in handcuffs. </p><p>The rest of them were cuffed to beds, but Eliot, who hardly looked injured at all, was restrained in a chair. Nate knew the Shifter could have ripped himself free if he’d wanted to, and he was pleased that the other man seemed willing to wait for Nate’s plan. He was even more surprised when the Shifter managed a flawless accent as he played the police into releasing him. </p><p>The third surprise came from Hardison, who seemed to have warmed up to Eliot enough to play a little joke on the man, dinging Eliot’s head on the doorway of the police cruiser. </p><p>The Shifter snarled in return, but there was no true heat behind it. </p><p>In fact, Nate could have sworn he saw a flash of gratitude in the Shifter’s gaze this time. </p><p>Hardison led them back to a safehouse, passing out plane tickets that would send them scattering across the globe. But Nate wasn’t ready to give up. He pitched his new plan to the team. For the first time, Eliot challenged him. </p><p>It wasn’t a full challenge, a threat to his place as leader. No, it was the challenge of a Second, a request for Nate to think about his plan critically, to ensure he wasn’t putting the others in needless danger. It was something Nate hadn’t had for a very long time. </p><p>The Shifter looked horribly out of place stuffed into one of the velvet theatre seats, his broad shoulders barely fitting the space. The amount of people and lack of easy exits also seemed to be driving up the Shifter’s hackles. </p><p>Admittedly, Sophie’s performance didn’t help much.</p><p>Eliot visibly relaxed once they got outside, Nate driving them around to the backstage door to await their new grifter. </p><p>Sophie, ever a professional, didn’t take long to emerge. Her face shifted from flattered to intrigued as she saw him standing there, her eyes taking in the rest of the crew waiting by the car. She didn’t take much convincing, even with the careful once over she gave Eliot. Nate supposed he should be impressed by the amount of trust she was willing to put in him.</p><p>He was even more impressed when it took them only a brief conversation to become instant friends. </p><p>Nate outlined the new plan to the team. This time, there was no hesitation as he assigned parts. </p><p>Eliot played his part perfectly. They all did. Everything was set. </p><p>Now all they had to do was wait for Dubenich to hang himself.</p><p>Eliot was shooting pool idly when Nate challenged him to a game. The Shifter’s head cocked, studying Nate with those dark, serious eyes. When he finally nodded, Nate felt oddly like he’d passed some test. They talked a bit as they played, feeling one another out. Nate was almost relaxed, which was why Eliot’s comment about Sam almost knocked him off his feet. </p><p>He snarled at the Shifter that they weren’t friends and watched the light blink out of Eliot’s eyes.</p><p>He regretted it almost immediately, but it was too late.</p><p>Nate got another drink. </p><p>The plan part two goes off with only a few minor hitches in timing. Thankfully, Nate and Eliot don’t have any direct contact during this stage, so the odd tension that’s still hanging about them doesn’t affect the job. </p><p>This time, the flashing lights aren’t here for Nate and his team, and they carry the spoils of their victory right out the front door under a rain of shredded document confetti. </p><p>The job is over, and Nate expects them all to disappear with enough money to retire comfortably on. </p><p>It appeared he underestimated the bonds that had grown between his team of loners. </p><p>Next thing he knows, Hardison is converting his safehouse into an office, Sophie all but moves in, Parker is forever popping up where Nate least expects her, and even Eliot is around, lurking in the background.</p><p>It takes Nate a couple weeks and a couple drinks to approach the Shifter.</p><p>“Look, I’m sorry.” He offers, staring at the Shifter’s shoulder. “I didn’t mean it, it just, Sam, it’s a sore spot.” </p><p>Eliot nods. “I know. I didn’t mean to make you angry.”</p><p>Nate shakes his head. “I wasn’t angry. I was off guard. You surprised me and I reacted poorly. I guess I had started to feel safe around you.”</p><p>Eliot blinked. “You…you felt safe? Around me?”</p><p>Nate took a breath and met the Shifter’s eyes. “You could have killed any number of men on this job. Heck, you could have left Hardison to die in that warehouse. You could have split and run after the explosion instead of checking on Parker. So yeah, I felt safe around you. I still do.”</p><p>The Shifter’s face was more open than Nate had ever seen it, the mix of emotions laid bare so painful Nate had to avert his gaze.</p><p>Eliot cleared his throat. “Thank you. Nate.”</p><p>Nate smiled. “Well, at least that’s settled. One supernatural creature on this team is enough, don’t you think?”</p><p>The Shifter snorted. “You realize Parker’s a pixie?”</p>
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